The Boys of an English Summer

by Gary Bedingfield

August 7,
1943 witnessed the first all-professional baseball game played in England
since the New York Giants and Chicago White Sox toured the country in the
fall of 1924. Featuring the best baseball talent serving with American
military units in the country, the US Army and Eighth Air Force met before
21,500 fans in a London-based fund-raising event that went down in history
as a baseball masterpiece.

The Yanks Are
Coming

By the early months of
1942, American servicemen were arriving in the British Isles. The first
echelons of the Eighth Air Force arrived in February and the number of US
troops stationed in Britain had reached 750,000 by 1943. It was a time of
upheaval, deprivation and anguish; a time when young Americans were taken
from their families and loved ones and faced with the rigors of military
life, the anxiety of serving in a foreign country and the uncertainty of
what lay ahead.

American servicemen needed a morale booster and baseball fit the bill. With
the full support of the military high command – who regarded sports as an
ideal way to keep soldiers physically and mentally fit – baseball
flourished. Former professional stars were soon playing alongside sandlot
heroes and high school lettermen in intricate league structures up and down
the country.

Baseball was quick to find its way into the everyday
lives of British civilians, too. After months of almost non-stop bombing by
Hitler’s Luftwaffe and with all professional sports on hold for the
duration, people were anxious for a spectator sport. American military teams
were willing to oblige, and games staged in soccer, rugby and cricket
stadiums were a common occurrence for the remainder of the war. Local
dignitaries often attended these events to throw out the first ball, and the
British press always took a keen interest, describing with enthusiasm the
“wonderful catching” and “spirited dashes from one base to another behind
the pitcher’s back.”

No Man Has a
Cinch

The Army All-Professional
team was led by manager Jules “Red” Shapiro, who hoped to utilize the
services of Lieutenant Charles “Chuck” Eisenmann – Pacific Coast League
pitcher – on the mound. Eisenmann, however, underwent an appendectomy in
July and was relegated to the role of coach for the series. In his place,
the Army was banking on the pitching services of Ralph Ifft, Lou Thuman and
Norman Russell. Ifft was 14-4 with a 2.01 ERA for Butler of the Penn State
Association in 1940, while Thuman had pitched five games for the Washington
Senators between 1939 and 1940. Russell had a 16-4 record with Mobile of the
Southeastern League in 1941.

Catching duties were expected to be handled by Texas League receiver Walt
Novick, while George Burns – a semi-pro from Sylacauga, Alabama, was the
number one candidate at first base. Maurice Jacobs of the Eastern League
would play second base, while Walt Hemperly of the Canadian-American League
would handle third base. The team’s shortstop was Pete Pavich, who had
played with Clinton of the Three-I League before the war.Candidates for the outfield included Mid-Atlantic Leaguer Albert
Brusko, Richard Catalano of the Penn State League and Massachusetts semi-pro
Lou Kelley. "No
man has a cinch,” announced Shapiro in late July. “All these guys will have
to prove themselves and hustle for the job.”

Turning
his attention to the opposition, Shapiro declared, "Those Air Force bums
are flying a little too high. We'll bring them down and take some of that
cockiness out of them."

Air Force
Talent

Managed by Corporal Bill
Moore, co-owner of the Greenville club in the South Atlantic League, and
coached by Lieutenant Monte Weaver, who pitched for the Washington Senators
for nine years, the Eighth Air Force

brought
a powerful squad to London on August 7.

The
pitching staff was headed by Bill Brech, a semi-pro hurler from Secaucus,
New Jersey, who had amassed a 12-2 record with the 988th
Military Police Fliers. Southpaw Ross Grimsley, a semi-pro at the time who
would go on to pitch for the Chicago White Sox in 1951, had struck out 86
batters in seven games for the VIII Bomber Command Headquarters.The pitching staff was further bolstered by Wisconsin State League
pitcher Lou Anschultz and Joe Rundus, who hurled in the Evangeline League in
1939.

At
first base, the Air Force could call upon Paul Campbell, who played 26 games
for the Boston Red Sox in 1942, and Northern League MVP Hugh Gustafson.
Larry Toth, who played in the Ohio State League, was the second base
selection, while Joe Gradisher, a speedy semi-pro from Muskegon, Michigan
was to play third. Andy Dzuris, who formerly played for Lima of the Ohio
State League, was to be the shortstop and leadoff man. The outfield choice
included California League centerfielder Gene Thompson, John Linde, who
played in the Western International League, Jack Gaston of the Northwest
Georgia Textile League, and Nick Fracaro, a semi-pro from Joliet, Illinois.
Ready for duty behind the plate were Stan Stuka, who was on the Philadelphia
Phillies’ roster in 1941, and Jim Vance of the Mid-Atlantic League.

The Best
Baseball Game That I Have Ever Seen

A crowd of 21,500 was on
hand at Wembley Stadium – England’s most famous sporting arena – where they
were entertained by bands of the US Army before a preliminary game matched
the CBS Clowns, a US Army team, against the Canadian Military Headquarters
squad, which was won by the Clowns, 6-3.

The
game was followed by a display by the Massed Pipe Bands of the Canadian
Army, and in front of high-ranking American officers, including
Lieutenant-General Jacob L Devers, European Theater commander and
Major-General Ira C Eaker, Eighth Air Force

commander, the All-Professional teams took the field – the Army in blue, the
Air Force in red.

With
all the professional talent in the Army line-up, no one expected Air Force
pitcher Bill Brech, to retire the Army hitters in order in the first six
innings of the seven-inning contest, but that’s exactly what he did. In all,
he allowed only two runners to reach base, faced just 23 batters and struck
out six as he secured his 1-0 no-hitter and a place in the hypothetical
European Theater Baseball Hall of Fame.

Pitching for the Army was Ralph Ifft, who allowed five hits over four
innings before being replaced by Lou Thuman. The Air Force scored their only
run in the second inning when Hugh Gustafson and Larry Toth led off with
singles. Gustafson moved up to third after Stan Stuka flied deep to center
and scored when Lee Taggert, playing third base, made a fine play to trap
Bill Brech’s hard hit grounder but threw wildly to second in an attempt to
force Toth.

“I took great pride in this team and have said
repeatedly it played the best baseball game that I have ever seen, and I
have seen all of the big league teams in action,” Major-General Eaker
proudly announced following the game. Eaker, an avid baseball fan, had been
heavily involved in the organization of this event and rewarded the
victorious Air Force team with a 30-day tour of military bases around
Britain. He later wrote to each player telling them how they “contributed
materially to the morale and high spirit of the Eighth Air Force by [their]
personal example and great professional skill.”

The tour
would take in many of the fighter and bomber bases that were
now spread across Britain, providing baseball at the highest
level. “There are a lot of combat crews in those stations
who haven’t seen a ball game this season,” said Bill Moore,
the All-Star’s manager, as they prepared for the first game,
“This is our opportunity to do what we can for them.”

The tour
opened on Tuesday, August 10 with a 9-0 win against a Photo
Intelligence team. It was the All-Star’s second successive
no-hitter with Joe Rundus performing the honors on this
occasion. The following day they defeated Fighter Command,
5-1, then made it four in a row with wins against the Eagles
(13-3) and the Comets (17-7).

Day in and
day out the team traveled by bus from one base to the next
and it was often dark by the time they hit the road. Because
the blackout restrictions in Britain meant there were no
lights on the street or on the bus one player often had to
walk in front to lead the way.

By late
August, the All-Stars had amassed a record of 22 wins
without defeat. In a five game series at a bomber station in
Norfolk, the All-Stars beat the Flashes, 14-0, on Gene
Thompson’s one-hitter; the Tigers, 1-0, on Lou Tabor’s
two-hitter, and the Irregulars, 10-0, on a Joe Rundus
two-hitter. They then defeated the Moles, 5-0, before
suffering their only defeat at the hands of the
Alcon-Falcons – a five-inning thriller that saw Sergeant
Tony DaVilla allow the All-Stars only two hits in defeating
Ross Grimsley, 1-0.

On
September 4, the All-Stars bounced back and pasted the 93rd
Bomb Group Traveling Circus, 11-1, before 4,000 fans in a
charity event in Norwich, England. Lou Tabor earning his
third win for the All-Stars.

The
All-Stars wound up their 30-day barnstorming tour by again
trouncing the Traveling Circus, 18-1, behind the four-hit
pitching of Bill Brech. The All-Stars had played 29 games
and won 28.

By early September 1943, they had
returned to their military duties. They would play ball
again the next summer – some in Britain, others in Europe as
their units followed the advancing Allied forces – but it
would be two years before they would return home to the
United States and be able to share with their loved ones the
story of how, for 30 days, they had been the boys of an
English summer.

Player Biographies

Sergeant Louis “Lou” Anschultz - Pitcher

Lou Anschultz, from Detroit, Michigan,
began his professional career with the Goldsboro Goldbugs of
the Coastal Plain League in 1940. In 1941, he joined the
Appleton Papermakers, a Cleveland Indians farm team in the
Wisconsin State League, where he had a 1-0 record in two
appearances
before entering military service. He returned to the Detroit
area after the war and served as a detective with the local
sheriff’s department.

Sergeant
William C “Bill” Brech – Pitcher

Bill
Brech was well
known in Secaucus, New Jersey, before the war as a pitcher with the Otto
Mack semi-pro team. He signed with Harrisburg of the Class B Inter-State
League for the 1946 season, but did not play. Instead, Brech worked for the
shipping department of the Inland Steel Container Company and continued to
play semi-pro baseball with the Otto Mack team, which toured the northeast
coast of the United States for several years. Brech was just 56 when he
passed away in June 1978. In November 2007, I had the honor of meeting
Brech’s son, Brad Brech at the National WWII Museum in New Orleans.

Corporal Paul
M Campbell – First Base

Paul Campbell was born in Paw Creek, North Carolina. He played American
Legion baseball and semi-pro ball with the Arcadia and Pacolet teams in the
competitive South Carolina textile leagues before signing his first
professional contract with Danville of the Bi-State League in 1936. He
batted .324 with 15 home runs and 88 RBIs his rookie year and moved up to
Rocky Mount of the Piedmont League for 1937 where he hit .309. In 1938,
Campbell was with Little Rock of the Southern Association. He batted .330,
led the league with 192 hits, and was rated as "one of the greatest first
basemen ever to come out of the Southern Association." Campbell had strong
seasons with Louisville of American Association in 1939 and 1940, and was
with Boston at the start of 1941.

When asked how he felt about losing vital playing years during the war, he
replied: "That's the way it was and, besides, I had fun playing ball over
there."

Campbell was back with the Red Sox in 1946, and played 28 games. He also
made a pinch-running appearance in the World Series. He was purchased by
Detroit at the end of 1947 and played a total of 146 games for the Tigers
over the next two seasons. He became a minor league player-manager in 1952
and went on to serve as president of the Louisville club. He began a long
career with the Cincinnati Reds in 1958 when he became a scout. In 1964 he
was promoted to Traveling Secretary, remaining in that position until 1978.

Paul Campbell, who spent 57 years in professional baseball, passed away on
June 22, 2006 in Fairfield Glade, Tennessee. He was 88 years old.

Private
First-Class Andrew J “Dee” Dzuris – Shortstop

After graduating from
Dunmore (PA) High School, Dee Dzuris attended St Thomas College until
signing with the Gloversville-Johnstown Glovers of the Canadian-American
League in 1939. He batted only .176 with the Glovers and joined the Lima
Pandas of the Ohio State League later in the year.

"The
British people did not understand the game at first," recalled Dzuris. "But
interest grew and crowds became larger and more knowledgeable, especially
for the charity games."

After the war, Dzuris worked for the Veterans
Administration for seven years and played semi-pro baseball with the
Scranton Red Sox and the All Hyde Park team. He was 1949 batting champion
with a .429 average. Dzuris later worked as a clerk for the US Postal
Service and retired after 23 years. He then held the position of attendance
officer for the Dunmore School District for 10 years. Dee Dzuris passed away
on June 15, 2008 in Moses Taylor Hospital, Scranton, after being stricken
ill at home. He was 90.

Private
First-Class Nicholas J “Nick” Fracaro - Outfield

Nick
Fracaro was a
naturally gifted athlete from Joliet, Illinois. He was a football star at
Joliet Catholic High School before the war and starred with the Joliet
Rivals baseball team. After the war, Fracaro continued to play baseball with
the Joliet Rivals Baseball Association and the Lockport Moose team, and
worked as a pipe fitter for Texaco until his retirement. Nick Fracaro passed
away in May 1995 at age 75.

Sergeant Jack
B Gaston - Outfield

Jack Gaston was born in
Oostanaula, Georgia. An outstanding baseball player, he led the Northwest
Georgia Textile League with a .422 batting average while playing for the
Lindale Pepperell Mill team in 1936.

Gaston returned to the Pepperell Mill team after
military service. In 1948, he batted .428 for the season, posted a perfect
7-0 record, and was the most valuable player in the league playoff series.
He continued playing into the 1950s. By the time he retired from the game he
had played 25 years in textile league baseball. But he didn’t stop swinging
a bat for many more years, and in 1984, at the age of 73, he slapped an
inside-the-park home run to lead his slow pitch softball team to an 11-0
win. Jack Gaston passed away in Lindale, Georgia, on September 26, 1994,
aged 83.

Private
First-Class Edward L “Ed” Gatlin - Catcher

Ed Gatlin
played pre-war semi-pro baseball with the Ponchatoula Athletics before
entering military service in February 1942."I was involved in a lot of baseball in England," recalled Gatlin.
"We traveled and played in every military base in the country."

After the war Ed Gatlin worked in farm produce for 24 years. He passed away
in Hammond, Louisiana on August 15, 2000.

Sergeant
Joseph J “Joe” Gradisher – Third Base

Joe Gradisher
was from Muskegon, Michigan. He met his wife, Nancy (who was born in
Glasgow, Scotland), while in England. She was serving with the British armed
forces as a searchlight operator in London and they married in 1943. When
Nancy arrived in the USA in October 1944 she was the first war bride in
Muskegon County.

When Gradisher returned to Muskegon, he was asked to tryout for a
professional team but felt he was too old at 30. He continued to play
baseball with local teams until the age of 60. He also coached Little League
teams and was instrumental in starting a senior slow-pitch softball league
in the area. Joe Gradisher passed away in October 1990 at age 75.

Corporal Ross
A Grimsley – Pitcher

Ross Grimsley was born
near Americus, Kansas, and graduated from Americus High School in 1941. He
pitched for the Independence Indians in the semi-pro Southeastern Kansas Ban
Johnson League before entering military service. Grimsley met his future
wife in England - Judy Robinson of Lima, Ohio - who was serving as a WAAC.
They married in Jacksonville, Florida on September 17, 1948.

Grimsley began his professional career in 1946 with the independent Chanute
Athletics of the Class D Kansas-Oklahoma-Missouri League where he was the
strike out king with 295 whiffs and led the league with 18 wins and a 1.93
ERA in 196 innings. He

was 19-9 with the Topeka Owls of the Class C Western Association in 1947 and
led the league with 262 strike outs. He was purchased by the St Louis
Cardinals at the close of the 1947 and pitched for Houston, Columbus and
Winston-Salem before being drafted by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1950. He was
purchased by the Chicago White Sox in August 1951 and made his first major
league appearance on September 3. He made a total of seven relief
appearances with the White Sox that season, appearing in 14 innings with a
3.86 ERA.

Grimsley continued to pitch in the minors until 1960 then went to work for
the Dupont Corporation in Memphis, Tennessee. Twenty years after his brief
appearance with the White Sox, his son, Ross II, broke into the majors with
the Reds. Ross Grimsley II went on to pitch for the Orioles and Expos,
winning 20 games with Montreal in 1978.

Ross Grimsley passed away in Memphis, Tennessee on February 6, 1994. He was
71 years old.

Staff
Sergeant Hugh E Gustafson – First Base

Hugh Gustafson was born on in Hibbing, Minnesota but was raised by his
parents in Winnipeg, Canada. Gustafson was a star athlete as a youth,
playing baseball and hockey, as well as earning a reputation as an
outstanding football player with the Deer Lodge Juniors. After playing
sandlot baseball he signed with the Winnipeg Maroons of the Northern League
in 1936. In 124 games he batted .265 with 6 home runs. The following year he
batted .300 with the Maroons and raised his average to .323 as the Maroons’
first baseman in 1938. In 1939, his fourth year with the team, he batted an
exceptional .367 with 11 home runs and 106 RBIs, and was voted the Northern
League's Most Valuable Player.

In 1940, he moved up to the Madison Blues of the Class B Three-I League
where he continued to hit well, batting .308 in 123 games. Gustafson began
the 1941 season with the Milwaukee Brewers of the Class AA American
Association, but after hitting just .118 in 14 games he rejoined Madison
where he batted .264 for the year. But Gustafson wasn't only playing
professional baseball during these years. In 1936, he joined the
Philadelphia Ramblers of the International-American Hockey League as the
team's center and remained with them through the 1939-1940 season. The
following year he signed with Pittsburgh Hornets of the American Hockey
League and was with the Providence Reds of the same league in 1941-1942.

Hugh Gustafson did not return to professional baseball after the war but
continued to play professional hockey with the Washington Lions of the
Eastern Hockey League (1945-1946), before becoming player-coach with
the Hibbing Saints of the semi-pro Northern Hockey League. He did, however,
still play baseball with the Brandon Greys, Elmwood Seniors and Winnipeg of
the Manitoba Senior League.

Private Floyd
“Lanny” Lancaster – Second Base

Lanny
Lancaster was born in Lafayette, Indiana where he was an all-round high
school athlete and played semi-pro baseball. After the war he attended
Indiana Business College and was a family counselor at Tippecanoe Memory
Gardens, retiring in 1991. He passed away on October 2, 1996, aged 76.

Corporal Bill
Moore - Manager

Bill Moore of Greenville,
South Carolina, was co-owner of the South Atlantic League’s Greenville
Spinners before the war.

Sergeant
Joseph F “Joe” Rundus - Pitcher

Joe Rundus of Belleville,
Kansas, was playing for the Concordia club in the Ban Johnson League when he
was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and was assigned to the Beatrice Blues of
the Nebraska State League in 1936 where he had an 11-14 won-loss record. In
1937, he was 16-8 with the Dayton Ducks of the Mid-Atlantic League. He
pitched for the Clinton Owls of the Three-I League in 1938 and ended his pro
career with the Abbeville A’s of the Evangeline League in 1939.

Joe Rundus played semi-pro baseball after the war in
Kansas and Nebraska. He worked for many years as a farmer and rancher then
moved to Las Vegas where he was a city building inspector. He retired in
1983 and passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada on February 6, 2004, aged 90.

Private
First-Class Alfred A Slakis - Shortstop

Al Slakis was
from Swoyersville, Pennsylvania and played in the Coastal Plain League in
1940 with the Williamston Martins. In 1941, he batted .244 with the Kinston
Eagles of the same league.

Corporal
Stanley E “Stan” Stuka - Catcher

Stan Stuka
was born in Clinton, Massachusetts, and was an outstanding athlete at
Clinton High School. In 1938, he signed with the Lexington Bees of the Kitty
League – a Boston Braves affiliate - appearing in 106 games and batting
.254. He spent most of 1939 with the Landis Senators of the North Carolina
State League, and played 113 games for the Martinsville Manufacturers of the
Bi-State League – a Phillies’ affiliate - in 1940, batting .297 with 12 home
runs and 93 RBIs, and receiving a late-season call-up to Philadelphia.
Although Stuka did not make an appearance with the Phillies in 1940, he was
back with the big league club for spring training in 1941, spending the
season with the Allentown Wings of the Interstate League where he played 92
games and batted .261.

Stan Stuka did not pursue a career in baseball after the war but continued
to play at the semi-pro level, while working as a tool
draftsman at the Norton Company in Worcester, Massachusetts. He passed away
on April 6, 1965, aged 50.

Lieutenant
Lewis V “Lew” Tabor - Pitcher

Lew Tabor was
from Greenville, South Carolina, attended the University of South Carolina
and signed with the Knoxville Smokies of the Southern Association in 1939.
The Smokies assigned the right-hander to the Martinsville Manufacturers of
the Bi-State League where he was 7-4 with a 3.39 ERA. In 1940, he had a 13-8
won-loss record with the Manufacturers.

Corporal
Eugene B “Gene” Thompson – Outfield

Gene” Thompson was born in Needles, California on September 14, 1921. He
graduated from Needles High School in 1938 and was signed by the Hollywood
Stars in 1940. The Stars sent him to the Salina Millers in the Western
Association, where he hit .279 in 125 games with 12 home runs and 82 RBIs.

Thompson
was with San Bernardino and Santa Barbara in the California League in 1941.
Thompson had only been in England for a couple of months when he was
commended for “heroism displayed in rescuing an elderly man and woman from
drowning at Bedford, England, 11 November 1942.” The commendation, dated
December 23, 1942, continued. “Hearing cries for help emanating from the
river Ouse, Corporal Thompson, with complete disregard for his own safety,
plunged into the river and succeeded in bringing the drowning man and woman
to shore, and administered artificial respiration until arrival of an
ambulance. The heroism displayed upon this occasion reflects highest credit
upon Corporal Thompson and Armed Forces of the United States.”

Thompson returned to the United States in November 1945. Still the property
of the Hollywood Stars, he played for the Yakima Stars of the Western
International League in 1946, batting .301 in 122 games. Thompson remained
with Yakima in 1947 and played the winter of that year down in Hermosillo,
Mexico, where he made the all-star team. The Hollywood Stars ended their
affiliation with the Yakima team after 1947, but Thompson remained with the
independent ball club for another two years. In 1950, Thompson joined the
Victoria Athletics in the Western International League. The following year,
1951, was to be his last in baseball. He batted .298 with Victoria in 110
games and quit when the season finished. “My problem was I played the game
for fun, both on and off the field,” Thompson recalled. “I loved it, but
couldn’t really get serious. I never took advantage of my ability, never
made much money, but sure did have fun.

Thompson spent the next 20 years with the Los Angeles Police Department and
rose to the rank of sergeant and assistant watch commander. He retired from
the LAPD in 1971 and moved to Salome, Arizona, where he spent most of his
retirement years. Gene Thompson passed away in Yucaipa, California on August
7, 1996. He was 74 years old.

Corporal
Larry Toth – Second Base

Larry Toth
was from Toledo, Ohio and played in the Ohio State League before the war. He
was with the Lima Pandas in 1939 and batted .308 with the Fremont Green Sox
in 1941.

Corporal
James E “Jim” Vance - Catcher

Jim Vance began his pro
career with the Bristol Twins of the Appalachian League in 1941 where he
batted .315 in 75 games. In 1942 he was with the Erie Sailors of the
Mid-Atlantic League.

Vance returned to professional baseball after the war
with the Pensacola Fliers of the Southeastern League in 1946, ending his
career with the Jenkins Cavaliers of the Mountain States League in 1948.

Second
Lieutenant Montie M “Monte” Weaver - Coach

Monte Weaver was not
your stereotypical pitcher of the 1930s. The wiry, right-handed North
Carolinian was one of the most educated players on the major league diamond
and the exact antithesis of the flannel-clad, tobacco-chewing players of his
era.

In 1924, the 18-year-old attended Emory and Henry College, a small
Methodist college in southwest Virginia. To pay his way he pitched for a
semi-pro colliery league team in Jenkins, Kentucky, earning $300 a month.
The big leagues, however, were a long way from his mind. He was working
towards a master’s degree in mathematics studying the safe speed of railroad
trains relative to the curvature of the tracks. He later joined the elite
faculty at the University of Virginia, where he taught analytic geometry and
was on his way to getting a doctor’s degree until baseball beckoned during
the summer of 1928.

Based on his semi-pro performances, Weaver – aged 22 – was coaxed to join
Durham in the Piedmont League where he started and completed 19 games,
regularly pitching on just two days rest. By 1931 he was a 20-game winner
with the Baltimore Orioles of the International League and the ever cautious
Clark Griffith, who had often seen Weaver pitch against the Senators in
spring training, bought him to Washington in September 1931 at a cost of
$25,000.

Weaver won his first four starts in 1932 with an
up-and-coming Senators team and finished the year with a 22-10 won-loss
record, fifth most wins in the American League. In 1933, Weaver struggled
with a shoulder injury and could manage only ten regular season wins but
realized the ambition of all pitchers when, on October 6, he started the
fourth game of the World Series against the Giants. New York took the first
two games at the Polo Grounds but Earl Whitehill shutout the Giants, 4-0, in
the third game. Weaver faced Carl Hubbell in the fourth game and it started
with all the makings of an unexpected pitchers’ duel as Weaver and Hubbell
kept a blank scoresheet through the first three innings. It was Giants’
manager Bill Terry who broke the ice in the fourth inning hitting a home run
into the temporary bleachers in shallow right field. From then on it
remained a head-to-head duel until Hubbell muffled a bunt in the seventh
that tied the game. Both starters remained as the game went into extra
innings. In the top of the eleventh the Giants rallied as Travis Jackson
bunted safely down the third base line, was bunted to second and scored on
Blondy Ryan’s ground ball through the infield. The Senators did not give up
easy, however. Runners reached second and third with one out before an
intentional walk set up a double play to end the game and World Series’ fame
for Weaver. Weaver remained on the Senators’ staff through 1938 and pitched
for the Red Sox in 1939 although his glory days were behind him.

After 27 months overseas Monte Weaver returned to the United States in
November 1945 and moved to Florida where he got into the grove business.
Within a few years he owned three groves producing an abundance of oranges
and grapefruit. He passed
away on June 14, 1994, a day before his 88th birthday.